Augustine, Hrabal and Kotai Are Voted Finalists for 2026 Mike Richter Award
Friday, March 20, 2026
The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) has announced the final three candidates for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. A “Watch List” of 35 was reduced to 10 semifinalists and now, with conference playoffs about to conclude, the final three have been chosen. They are: Michigan State junior Trey Augustine, UMass junior Michael Hrabal, and Augustana junior Josh Kotai. The winner of the 2026 Mike Richter Award will be announced on April 10 during the NCAA Frozen Four in Las Vegas, NV.
Mike Richter enjoyed a phenomenal playing career, highlighted by 14 seasons with the New York Rangers, leading them to the Stanley Cup in 1994, their first in 54 years. A member of the Hall of Fame, Richter was outstanding on a number of USA Hockey Teams, most notably the 1988 Olympic Team, the 1991 Canada Cup Team and as the MVP of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Mike also played at the University ofWisconsin and earned a degree from Yale University.
Trey Augustine, Michigan State
(JR – South Lyon, Michigan)
Augustine is the only repeat finalist in the group. He has put Michigan State at or near the
top of the national rankings all season and led the Spartans to their third straight Big Ten
regular season title. A First Team All American a year ago, his 2025-26 numbers have him
again challenging for that recognition. The repeat All Big Ten standout went 23-8-1, with a
GAA of 2.08 and a save percentage of .929.
Michael Hrabal, University of Massachusetts
(JR – Prague, Czechia)
Hrabal has UMass in the Hockey East semifinals after becoming the first UMass goalie
to earn Hockey East Goalie of the Year honors. He was First Team All Hockey East in
25-26 after being Third Team a year ago and Second Team as a freshman. His .952 save
percentage in league play was .001 off the HE record. Overall, he has a save percentage
of .936 (2nd in NCAA) and a GAA of 1.98 (4th).
Josh Kotai, Augustana University
(JR – Abbotsford, BC)
Kotai led Augustana into the CCHA semifinals and was a primary reason that the school
was a constant presence in the national rankings. CCHA Player of the Year, Goalie of the
Year, and a First Team All CCHA selection, his numbers were among the best in the nation
all season. His .938 save percentage is the best in the NCAA and his 1.99 GAA is fifth. In
CCHA play, he led all goalies with a .941 percentage and was the only goalie to average
better than 30 saves per game.
| Past Winners of the Mike Richter Award | |
| Year | Recipient/Institution |
| 2014 | Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell |
| 2015 | Zane McIntyre, North Dakota |
| 2016 | Thatcher Demko, Boston College |
| 2017 | Tanner Jaillet, Denver |
| 2018 | Cale Morris, Notre Dame |
| 2019 | Cayden Primeau, Northeastern |
| 2020 | Jeremy Swayman, Maine |
| 2021 | Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota |
| 2022 | Devon Levi, Northeastern |
| 2023 | Devon Levi, Northeastern |
| 2024 | Kyle McLellan, Wisconsin |
| 2025 | Jacob Fowler, Boston College |
